Texas District Court Decision to Pause Funding Intended to Help BIPOC Small Farmers Must Be Challenged

“Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s decision to suspend a program intended to provide disaster relief for small farms owned by people of color is the latest example of extremist efforts to dismantle support systems meant to help BIPOC entrepreneurs. Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling that the program discriminated against white men because it primarily benefited farmers who identify as Black, Native American, Latinx, Asian or Pacific Islander, or who identify as women, is yet another blow to a group of small businesses that has at times struggled to get ahead as a result of deeply entrenched, systemic racism in the United States. This bias is wide-ranging, and it often prevents small businesses and farms founded by people of color from ever getting off the ground – let alone succeeding. A particularly glaring example of this bias can be found in the distribution of other forms of federal aid, including supposedly ‘race-neutral’ support available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). Even though it was never intended to be so lopsided, 97% of CARES Act assistance set aside for farmers went to those who are white. 

The legal argument here is also flawed at best. The idea that white people are victimized by federal programs intended to support BIPOC small businesses may sound rational to some at first glance but in truth makes no attempt to even acknowledge the reality that small, minority-owned farms and businesses have always competed on an uneven playing field. We hope future courts that consider this case and similar lawsuits will do so with an eye toward dismantling the harm caused to BIPOC-owned small businesses by generations of discrimination and supporting the minority entrepreneurs who just want a chance to achieve the kind of success that white men have historically taken for granted in the United States.”